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Chitin is a polysaccharide homopolymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) resi- dues linked j8 1-4. As part of a protein- polysaccharide complex, chitin constitutes the bulk of the organic material in the ar- thropod exoskeleton or cuticle. The process of ecdysis (molting), which is common to the entire phylum Arthropoda, requires that the animal resorb part of its current cuticle and then secrete a new one directly under- neath. During this process, chitin is synthe- sized by the epithelial cells subjacent to the cuticle (Stevenson, 1985). It is reasonable to conclude that agents which interrupt chi- tin synthesis would interfere with the for- mation of the new exoskeleton in a postmolt animal. The blue crab Callinectes sapidus is a ma- rine crustacean of economic importance to many coastal communities. Since much of its life cycle is spent in estuarine waters, the blue crab may be exposed to pesticides that contaminate the run-off from inland forests and agricultural lands, as well as to those pesticides applied directly to marshlands. Diflubenzuron (Dimilin®) is an insect larvicide that inhibits chitin synthesis and exerts its effect at the time of ecdysis (Post et al., 1974; Deul et al., 1978). Prior studies on crustaceans, including
Journal of Crustacean Biology – Brill
Published: Jan 1, 1992
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